Cabinet for the storage of film



Feb. 13, 194D. J. G. BRADLEY 2,190,229

CABINET FOR THE STORAGE OF FILM Filed Aug. 4, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 31 Wil 4I 27- gmwm dof/N mplv.

Feb' 13, 1940- n J. G. BRADLEY 2,190,229

CABINET FOR THE STORAGE OF FILM Filed Aug. 4. 19:59` 4 sheets-sheet 2 DDDGUDU UDGCIUUDOUDOCID LIDDD will IlllllllllllV IWI 1H um muuuum 2 BRADLEY.

Feb. 13, 1940. J. G. BRADLEY CABINET FOR THEA STORAGE 0F FILM Filed Aug. 4, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 @HN 6. mmfv.

Feb. 13, 1940. J. G, BRADLEY 2,190,229

CABINT FOR THE STORAGE 0F FLM vFiled Aug. 4, 1939 4 Sheets-She'et 4 Patented Feb. 13, 194@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFI-lcs 20 Claims.

(Granted under the act o! March 3, 1883, as amendedv April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Goverment ofthe United States for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty theres on,in accordance with the provisions of the act of April 30, 1928 l(ch. 460, 45 Stat. L. 467).

This invention relates to reproof filing cabinets for storing such combustible and explosive material as photographic film, paper records and the like. The general purpose of the invention is to provide a safe', economical and convenient means for storing such materials against loss and damage both from iire and excessive heat.

Another object of the invention is to provide suilicient means of escape for the heat, smoke and gases generated by such stored materials to the exterior of the Lbuilding wherein such equipment is used to prevent explosion thereof and to prevent damage therefrom in all cases. Another object is to provide means for preventing in thecase of internal fire-that is, a iire inside the cabinets-a spread. of heat in such quantity as'to cause serious combustion of or dama ge to adjacently stored material in the same equipment. v

Still another object of the inventionis to provide means for preventing, in the case of an external iire-that is, a iire outside the cabinetsany losses of or damage to the stored material from combustion or excessive heat.

Another object is to provide means for preventing damage'to stored material by water orl within unit cabinets wherein material may be stored in showerproof containers easily accessible either for insertion `or removal; to provide means by insulation or otherwise for separating such compartments; to provide means in case of an internal iire for the carrying oil to the exterior of smoke, gases and heat; to provide means in case of an internal iire for diverting smoke, gases and heat so generated to a common flue or to a series of iiues leading to the exterior; to provide means for protecting unaffected sprinkler heads or similar devices from excessive heat; to provide means for protecting unailected compartments from excessive heat radiation; to provide means whereby the heat generated by combustio-n will actuate a sprinkler head or other device as a source of a cooling agent within a minimum amount of time; to provide' means whereby such cooling agent will enter all the individual compartments directly land simultaneously by means of a spray and/or indirectly as a result of an overiiow of Ithe cooling agent from one compartment or container to another;

to provide means for forming a reservoir of the 5 cooling agent around the bottom of the storage containers; to provide means whereby the spray of the cooling agent' will cool the heat and filter and dilute the smoke and gases resulting from combustion; to provide means whereby air will i0 circulate through the cabinets; to provide means for preventing smoke, heat .and gases from entering Work areas of the building; and to provide means for quick and easy disassembly of the. parts of the cabinet for cleaning, repair, and l5 any other purpose.

Other objects and functions will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, it being understood that the above statement is intended generally to ex- 20 plain the invention without limiting the same in any manner.

In the accompanying drawings illustrative of embodiments having the characteristics of my invention and by which the same may be prac- 25 ced- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a built-ln cabinet system, broken away to illustrate interior features and arrangements of my invention;

Figure 2 a. vertical section taken at-Z-Z of Fig- 30 ure 1;

' Figure 3 a removableshelf in perspective;

Figure 4 a detail of vertical section of Figure 2; Figure 5 a vertical section of an alternate construction of Figure 4;

Figure 6 a detail front view of Figure 2 broken away;

Figure 7 a perspective detail of shelf shown in Figure 5;

Figure 8 a section of Figure 7 taken at 8 8; 40

Figure 9 a perspective view of a modiiication of the shelf shown in Figure 3;

Figure 10 a plan view of shelf of modified cabinet shown in Figure 14;

Figure 11 a detail vertical section of Figure 14, 45 front to rear; i

Figure 12 a rear perspective of a modiiication of the snelfshown in Figure 7;

Figure 13 a section oi' Figure 10 taken at lil-[3;

Figure 14 a. front view of a modified cabinet;

Figure 15 a front view of another modied cabinet;

Figure 16 a perspective view of one unit of a sectional form of cabinet;

i reference is first made to the built-in type of cabinet illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 as distinguished from the sectional unit or portable type of cabinet illustrated in Figures 14, 15 and 16. In this, the former type of cabinet, the ceiling 25, the Wall 26, and the floor 21 of a storage room may be utilized, respectively, as the top, back and rbottom of the cabinet, while in the type of cabinet shown in Figures 14, 15 and 16, those' walls are a part of the cabinet rather than of the storage room.

Superposed shelves 28 Afor the support and housing of vented yet showerproof storage containers 29 are removably supported at their sides upon the vertical side walls 30 or partitions 30' which extend from the ceiling or top of the cabinet 25 to the oor or bottom of the cabinet 21 with one side edge joining or abutting the back Wall 26. A cabinet front 3l, provided with doors 32, also extends from the top to the bottom of the cabinet in contact with the front edges of the shelf-supporting walls 30 or partitions 30. While doors may be provided for each compartment or for each tier, a large door for several tiers may be desirable. The inner faces of the doors are preferably lined with a flreproof insulation to provide a relatively tight seal between the door and the edges of the shelves and partitions.

The shelves, to be more fully described hereinafter, are so maintained on the walls 30 or partitions 30' as to bring their front edges in contact with the cabinet front 3il and/0r doors 32 when closed. A vertical flue 33, communicating with the spaces between the shelves is provided along the rearward edge of each tier of shelves. These flues are formed by the back wall 26 and the vertical shelf supporting members, and lead 4into a common horizontalv ue 34 extending to the exterior of the building. A fusible or otherwise heat actuated means, such as a sprinkler head 35, for controlling a cooling agent, and/or an extinguishing agent, is connected to a source of supply and positioned in the upper portion of each offthe vertical flues 33. .To prevent the undue exposure of sprinkler heads 35 located in vertical lines of adjacent or unaffected tiers, the common horizontal iiue 34, which carries the heat, etc., from aiected compartments past unaffected tiers, is provided with overlapping bafes 36 which shield the sprinkler heads of unaffected tiers, although other suitable means may be provided for protecting unaffected sprinkler heads such as direct extension of` each vertical ilue to the exterior. For the same reason the shelf-supporting members separating the tiers of shelves, extend from front to rear and upward to the top of the vertical flues 33, thus segregating each sprinkler head.

In order to provide a constant movement of air throughout the cabinets, intake ports, apertures or registers 31 are provided at the base of each heat and gases from entering work areas, gravity partments and storage containers.

traps 38, or other suitable closure means, are provided for the intakes 31.

The shelves 28 are so constructed as to collect and direct the cooling medium, when expelled from the sprinkler heads, over and around the waterproof storage containers 29. They are also so constructed as to cause a continuing fresh supply of the cooling medium to continuously flow over and around the containers. From an inspection of the form of shelf shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 and 16, it will be seen that the rear edges of the shelves are provided with a flange 39 that projects on an incline into the vertical iiue and continues into a fiat carrier plate 40 extending beneath the supporting surface 4I of the shelves.

lThe flanges 39 serve to divert heat into the vertical fiues and also to collect the sprayed or overflowing cooling agent and divert it to the carrier plate 40 beneath the supporting surface of the shelf, from whence the agent is permitted to flow through an appropriately located aperture 42 in surface 4| of the shelf. This iioodgate serves as a baille which, with bailies 44 projecting downwardly from the carrier plate 40, prevents heat radiation from the vertical flue 33 to the shelf com- It is important to note that the tops of the oodgate 43 be on a line suiliciently below the lip of the lid of the storage container to prevent the cooling agent from flowing or being sucked into the container such as when there is a sudden contraction of air as a result of contact with the cooling agent. The overflowing quantity of the agent is caught by the ange 39 of the shelf beneath and the process continued to the bottom of the cabinet. Drain apertures 45 located at the base of the tiers are provided for the escape of the excess liquids.

In order further to protect the stored material in an unailected tier or compartment against heat in an adjacent tier or compartment, runners 46 are provided on the surface of the shelf to form an air space beneath the container.

Shelf supporting runways 48 (see Figure 6) projecting from the sides of the walls 30 or partitions 30 are provided for the support of the shelves. These runways pass into the space 41 between the supporting surface 4| and plate 40 and are cut back from the front edge of the pai'- tition or side wall a distance approximately the thickness of the sheetl metal of which the shelf f' is constructed whereby the returning front edge 49 of the shelf may be brought into abutment with the ends of the runways 48 and yet be flush with the front edges of the partitions 30'. This arrangement also serves for holding the shelves in position for contact with the doors and serves as a stop for preventing the shelves from being pushed back'into the fiues 33.

Figures 5, '7, and 8 illustrate a modification of the shelves shown in the figures previously described. In this modiiication, insulation 50 is inserted between the supporting surface 4i of the shelf and the plate 46 therebeneath as an added precaution against the spread of heat from one shelf compartment to another. In the construction of these figures the floodgate 39 is inclined and serves the same additional purpose as the diverting flange 39 in the construction shown -in detail in Figures 3, 4 and 9. In this insulated type of shelf no aperture 42 is provided in the l under plate 40 is provided with an aperture 42',

as in Figures 9, 1'7 and 18, and the runners 46 are placed on the under plate 40 rather than on the surface plate 4I, to provide a space beneath the drawer for air or the cooling agent. Otherwise the shelf is similar in construction with that shown in Figure 3,. etc.. since the divertingy flange 39 is on the'under plate 40. This flange 38 on the lower plate of the drawer type shelf, however, serves also as a oodgate, as in Figure 5,

y and the iioodgate 43 on the top plate 4I of the Figure 3 construction is converted in this drawer type shelf into a baille 43' serving the same purpose as baffle 44 of Figure 3 by being bent downward instead of upward. t

Another alternate design of cabinet, as Well as the shelves, is shown in- Figures 10, 11, 13, 14 and 20. In this design the cooling agent source 35 may be located in any convenient place in a supply line above the cabinet. 'I'he shelves of this modification are designed to decline (see Figure 10) from their edges toward a centrally located aperture 42. Ribs 52 having a planar surface are provided for the support of storage containers. These shelves may be provided with a diverting fiange 39 projecting into the i'lue 33 and the cooling agent flows down over the container, down the declining surfaces of the shelf f between the ribs 52, and then through the aperture 42 onto the container beneath. A modified form of flue is shown in broken lines in Figure 10 as slits 53 through the shelves.

In still another design of my invention, as shown in Figures 15 and 21, a flue as such may be omitted altogether using the interior of the cabinet itself for iiue purposes. In this design the sprinkler head or cooling agent source 35 is located above and directly over the center of the cabinet. 'I'he heat generated from combustion in any container 29 rises and actuates the cooling agent device so that the cooling agent falls on the first container after which it cascades back and forth and downward until all containers Within the unit are covered with a film or curtain of the cooling agent as shown.

An alternate provision for the overow of the cooling agent is illustrated in the flange oodgate 39" (Figure 12) with notches 54 in successive shelves arranged in staggered position so that the overflowing cooling agent from one compartment falls within the inside of the edge and between the notches of the next flange below it.

It will be noted from the drawings that the shelves 28 are extremely simple in construction which contributes to the economy of the invention; that the heat caused by the combustion of the contents of one or more storage containers is diverted from the shelves containing such containers; confined to the vertical flue of the tier; and forced past the sprinkler head in its l passage to the exterior of the building through the horizontal or other type-of flue. The-'farrangement described provides for the operation of the sprinkler head or other suitable device in a minimum amount of time and retards a vertical spread of heat from one compartment to another.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a readily accessible, economical, and emclent storage cabinet has been provided, which will prevent a spread of heat from initial fires, protect the unaffected and adjacently stored material from excessive temperatures, and protect the health of those who must work with photographic film and the like. It will be further apparent that the invention possesses uses and advantages not mentioned specifically herein rather than being restricted to the illustrative disclosures hereof, and that the invention may be variously changed, used, and modified, all

without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing the advantages thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A cabinet for the storage and protection of materials, comprising enclosure members forming an enclosed storage space, article supports providing storage areas within said space, a valve-provided intake automatically operable to admit air into said space and automatically operable to prevent the'escape of gases and the like from said space, a vent leading from said storagev space, normally inoperative means adapted to be actuated by abnormal heat for dispensing a fire extinguishing cooling medium, means for diverting the dispensed medium simultaneously into each of said areas, and a drain port leading from said storage space.

2. A cabinet for the storage and protection ljoi materials, comprising enclosure members form'- ing an enclosed storage space, a vent leading from said storage space, storage compartments within said space, normally open intercommunicating passageways within said space communicating with said compartments and vent, normally inoperative cooling agent dispenser means adapted to be actuated by abnormal heat from any of said compartments, and means for directing the dispensed agent simultaneously into all compartments and shieldingly about articles within said compartments.

3. A cabinet for the storage and protection of materials, comprising enclosure members forming an enclosed storage space, a vent leading from said storage space, storage compartments within said space and each having a top and bottom, normally open intercommunicating passageways within said space communicating with said compartments and vent, normally inoperative cooling agent dispenser means adapted to be actuated by abnormal heat from any of said compartments, and means for directing the dispensed agent lowingly over the exterior surfaces of the tops of said compartments, the interior and exterior surfaces of the bottoms thereof and across said communicating passageways.

4. In a cabinet for the storage and protection of materials, having enclosure members forming an enclosed storage space, a vent leading from said storage space, storage compartments within said space, normally open intercommunicating passageways within said space, communicating with said compartments and vent, fixed diverting means adapted to divert heat, re, gases and the like emitted from affected compartments from entry into unaffected compartments, normally inoperative cooling agent dispenser means adapted to beactuated by abnormal heat from any of said compartments, and means for directing the dispensed agent shieldingly about articles within said compartments, the improvement comprising means associated with each of said compartments to accumulate in each compartment a reservoir oi' the agent received therein to a depth suflicient to close the otherwise normally open passageway of each compartment. 5. A cabinet for the storage and protection of materials comprising .enclosure members forming an enclosed storage space, article supports providing storage-areas within said space, a valve provided intake and a vent leading. respectively, into and from said storage space, normally inoperative means adapted to be actuated by abnormal heat for dispensing a. nre extinguishing cooling medium into said space, means for fiowmedium to owingly and simultaneously envelope articles positioned on the various shelves.

7.. In combination with a cabinet, for the storage of such as combustible and inammable materialls, having a top, bottom, sides andfront, and an access opening and closure means therefor, the improvement comprising an upright passageway within said cabinet, a tier of superposed shelves supported within said cabinet and forming shelf compartments communicating with said passageway, a heat actuated dispenser of cooling medium within said cabinet, and means for causing the medium dispensed from said dispenser to flow in a continuously refreshed sheet simultaneously across each compartment communication and simultaneously across the compartments immediately adjacent the under surfaces of the shelves.

8. A cabinet having an access opening and closure means therefor, a plurality of tiers of superposed shelves providing shelf compartments within said cabinet, upright partitions separating said tiers, spaced shelf supporting means on said partitions, and an upright flue for and communicating with each tier of shelf compartments, in combination with a common exhaust ue with which said upright lues communicate, heat actuated dispenser means Within said upright flues, said dispenser means being connected to a rsource of supply of a cooling medium and positioned within the effective heat range of the compartments of each tier whereby the dispenser of a tier may be operatively affected by heat from any compartment of the tier,

shielding means'ior shielding the dispenser means partments, the improvement comprising a uehaving an intake and exit and normally com-l municating with said compartments for the circulation of air and for the exhaustion oi' heat, gases and the like generated in any compartment,

shielding means for protecting unaffected compartments from fire, gases, heat and the like of an affected compartment comprising a bame and a oodgate in overlapping arrangement at the flue entrance to said compartments, means for automatically supplying a cooling medium to said compartments upon the generation of abnormal heat in any compartment comprising a heat actuated dispenser positioned in the eiective heat range of said compartments and connected to a source of cooling medium, and means for directing the dispensed medium into said compartments. y

10. A cabinet having a plurality of compartments for the storage and protection of articles, material and the like of combustible or innammable character, each compartment comprising superposed shelves forming the top and bottom walls of said compartment, side memberssupporting said shelves and forming the side walls of said compartment, and a door in contact with the front edges of said shelves and with the side members and forming the front wall of said compartment, a flue at the rear of said compartments, a baille at the rear of each compartment projecting downwardly from the top thereof, and a floodgate projecting upwardly from the bottom of each compartment and rearwardly of said baille to a plane above the plane of the bottom edge of said baille, a passageway between the bafile and oodgate of each compartment communicating with said ue, heat actuated dispenser means operable upon the generation of heat in one or more of said compartments to dispense a cooling agent, means for directing the agent into said compartments where it may be built up by said oodgates to a depth sulcient to contact the end of the downwardly projected baiiies and close said passageway. Y

11. A cabinet having a plurality of compartments for the storage and protection of articles, material and the like of combustible or inflammable character, said compartments comprising superposed shelves forming the top and bottom walls of said compartments, side members supporting said shelves and forming side walls of said compartments, and a door in contact with the front edges of said shelves and with the side members and forming the front wall of said compartments, a flue at the rear of said compartments, baiiles projecting downwardly from the rear edges of the shelves and oodgates projecting upwardly therefrom, the bailles and oodgates of the shelves which form the top and bottom of each of the compartments being in slightly overlapping arrangement with passageways therebetween from said compartments into said flue, normally inoperable means though operable upon radiation of abnormal heat from any of said compartments to dispense a liquid cooling agent, means for directing the dispensed agent simultaneously into all compartments where it may be held within said compartments by said fioodgates to a. depth suflicient to contact the end of the downwardly projected bailles, and means for diverting surplus quantities of the delivered agent from one compartment to another.

12. A cabinet having a plurality of compartments for the storage and protection of articles and the like of such character as combustible or inflammable materials, said compartments comprising superposed shelves forming the top and bottom walls of said compartments, side members supporting said shelves and forming the sidewalls of said compartments, a door in contact with the edges of said shelves and with the side-members and forming the front wall of said compartments, and apassageway rearwardly of and normally communicating with said compartments through a normally open opening in they rear thereof, in combination with shielding means at the rear of said compartments for diverting heat, re, gases and the like froml aected compartments past the normally open compartment opening of unaffected compartments and intov said passageway, dispenser means for automatically dispensing a cooling medium upon the abnormal generation of heat in any one of said compartments, means for collecting and retaining within said compartments a continually refreshed reservoir of the cooling medium dispensed from said dispenser to a depth sufcient to close said compartment opening, and means for diverting surplus quantities of the cooling medium from one compartment to another.

13. In combination with cabinets having a plurality of superposed shelves forming shelf compartments, the improvement comprising a fiue having an intake .and exit in normally open communication with said compartments for the circulation of air and for the exhaustion of heat, gases and the like generated in any compartment, shielding means for protecting unaffected compartments from fire. gases, heat and the like of an affected compartment, means for automatically supplying a liquid `cooling medium and other means for directing the same simultaneously to said compartments upon the generation of abnormal heat in any compartment, and means for utilizing the dispensed medium for closing the otherwise normally'open ue communication of each compartment.

14. Shelves for a cabinet for the storage and protection of articles, material and the like of combustible or inflammable character, said shelves each comprising a surface for the support of articles to be stored, means at the rear of the shelf for diverting heat, fire, gases and the like past the shelf and simultaneously for the collection and direction of a cooling wmedium onto the shelf, a baie at the rear of theeshelf cooperating in an overlapping manner 'with the diverting means of another shelf to form with a collected quantity of cooling medium a'closure to the storage space between the shelves.

15. Shelves particularly adapted for use in connection with the type of cabinet described and claimed, comprising a surface member, spaced supporting means for supporting articles on and slightly elevated from said surface member, supporting means associated with said surface member for supporting the shelf within the cabinet, diverting means associated with an edge of saidsurface member to divert foreign gases, fire, heat and the like flowing past the edge of the shelf away from articles positioned on the shelf, to direct such damaging elements emitted from articles on said shelf away from superposed shelves, and yet to collect and divert a dispensed fire extinguishing cooling agent onto said surface about said supporting means and articles.

ing agent delivered to said upper surface, inclined deecting means projecting upwardly from an edge of the under surface member beneath said floodgate to collect a dispensed cooling agent as well as the overiiow thereof from the iloodgate of an upper shelf, and to divert the collected agent underneath the upper surface member of the shelf, said under surface member having an outlet opening through which said agent may pass and be delivered to the upper surface member of a shelf beneath and articles thereon.

17. Shelves ofthe character described each comprising associated members forming superposed surfaces, means on the upper surface for supporting articles, means projecting upwardly from an edge of said upper surface member adapted to serve as a oodgate for a liquid cooling agent delivered to said upper surface, inclined deflecting means projecting upwardly from an edge of the under surface member beneath said floodgate to collect a dispensed cooling agent as well as the overflow thereof from the floodgate on the upper surface of the shelf, and to divert the collected agent underneath the upper surface member of the shelf, said under surface member having an outlet opening through which said agent may passend be delivered to the upper surface member of a shelf beneath and ar- A'ticles thereon, and a baille projecting downwardly from said under-surface member adapted to inwardly overlap the floodgate of a shelf beneath.

18. Shelves of the character described each `comprising an article supporting surface, means for retaining a reservoir of liquid cooling medium on said surface, insulating means insulating articles on one shelf from abnormal heat generated from articles on adjacent shelves, an inclined oodgate at the edge of said surface for catching a dispensed `medium and the overflowing quantity thereof from an upper shelf, the height of said floodgates governing the depth of the cooling medium on the shelf.

19. Shelves of the character described each comprising an article supporting surface, means for retaining a reservoir of liquid cooling medium on said surface, insulating means insulating articles on one shelf from abnormal heat generated from articles on adjacent shelves, an inclined fioodgate at the edge of said surface for catching a dispensed medium and the overflow' ing quantity thereof .from an upper shelf, the height of said iloodgates governing the depth of the cooling medium on the shelf, anda baffle projecting downwardly; from each shelf and adapted to' overlappingly cooperate with the iiood'gate of the shelf beneath and form a closure with said medium to the space between adjacent shelves.

2 0. Shelves of the character described ,each comprising associated members forming superposed surfaces, a drawer operably supported between and housed by said surfaces, a passageway through said under surfacefmember, means projecting upwardly from an edge of said under surface member'adapted to -collect a dispensed cooling agent and divert the same about said drawer and through said opening from whence it may be delivered to the top surface of a shelf beneath, andv a baille'projecting downwardly from said upper surface member to a plane within and below the plane of said collecting and diverting means.

JNO. G. BRADLEY. 

